Feeling Special

My mom had the ability to make anyone that came into her home feel special!  Through the years of my childhood I always was amazed to see how she responded to the different friends and guests of the family that came over during various holiday events.  While others in the room would raise an eyebrow at the new person’s clothing preferences, hair style or color, language choices or their preferred lifestyle, my mom would welcome them with open arms, laugh and joke with them and immediately make them feel welcomed and at home.

I’ve been told that I inherited that same characteristic, especially with the members of the younger generation.  In reading the Word this morning, I came to the conclusion that this is a trait that was initiated with the family of God!  In Matthew 9:10-11 we see that it was not strange to find Jesus dining with tax collectors and sinners.  It was obvious that they were very comfortable in His presence to the chagrin of the religious leaders!  When Jesus overheard their complaints He told them: “The ones that are whole do not need a physician, but the ones who are sick.” (Matthew 9:12 MKJV)  In other words, His main purpose was to minister to those in need, not the ones who had everything going for them.

In Hebrews 2:17 we are also told that Jesus became like you and me so that He could better fulfill God’s plan and purpose on this earth.  He willingly stepped out of the comfort of His own world and stepped boldly but yet gently into the messiness of people’s lives! (See also Hebrews 5:2)

He went out of His way to make others feel welcome, comfortable and special so that He could make a difference in their hurting lives.  I sometimes wonder how many of us are willing to step out of the comfort and order of our own little worlds and into the unknown of other’s lives in order to best meet their needs.  How many of us are willing to become like them or maybe better said, to take the time to be still and interested enough to really listen to them so as to be able to best understand their particular needs and then help them in ways that are best suited to their unique situation?

Now that I am on the other side, I have been run over and utterly frustrated by a few folks who think they have all the answers and make suggestions and in some cases accusations, that are totally ignorant of our situation and do not aid but work to make worse the ordeal!

Then on the other hand, I have been absolutely blessed by a number of others who are sensitive and loving enough to just be there and help with whatever needs may arise.  They are like a cool glass of refreshment on a hot and humid Oklahoma summer afternoon!

That’s how Jesus was, and how He wants us to be as well!  I am sure that the tax collectors and sinners that He ate with were sick and tired of the religious leader’s constant attacks on their character and life’s decisions.  They didn’t need more condemnation, they needed someone to just accept them and love them for who they were.  And that opened the door for ministry and the potential for life changing decisions!

When my mom passed a year ago, I had many come up to me and tell me how they always felt special and accepted by her, even when they were rejected by others.  That’s what I also want to hear when I get up to heaven!  How about you?  Have a great day.  Stay in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting today?”HoHowh